Rick Mayer
Digital ProducerI’m the online producer for Health News Florida, a collaboration of public radio stations and NPR that delivers news about health care issues.
This is an important position at WUSF. In 2019, the typical U.S. family spent about 11 percent of its annual income on health care, so it stands to reason issues of cost, quality, access and innovation are consequential to all Floridians. Then COVID-19 came along, and the weight of these matters gained exponentially. I take our reporting on these topics quite seriously, as I’m sure you do, too.
Literally growing up in newsrooms and a little serendipity along the way prepared me well for the post. Here’s the abridged version: I’m a Tampa guy, graduating from H.B. Plant High and thrust into the world with my USF degree rolled tightly in hand. From there, it was three mostly sleepless decades as an editor at The Tampa Tribune, then developing and managing an online journal serving physician executives. There’s also my side job editing a statewide health magazine.
And being married to a longtime hospital nurse/case manager helps; dinner conversation often gives me a feel of what’s happening on the front lines. The good and not-so-good.
Of course, my time isn’t always spent flailing in the health news vortex. You’re actually more likely to find me breaking down the Bucs, Bulls or Bolts after a game, taking Oodle the poodle to the dog park or tinkering the backroom piano while vicariously reliving my former life as a musician. (Remember, kids: Parents of percussionists have plenty of patience. Plenty!)
Contact Rick on X @rmayer2361 or by email at Mayer1@wusf.org.
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Health officials have cautioned the mosquito-borne illness doesn't respect county boundaries. In a region connected by daily commuting, infected people can spread it beyond the original hotspots. -
Dewane led the diocese of about 260,000 Catholics for nearly 20 years before his retirement and was serving as bishop emeritus until his death Wednesday at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. -
The facility, slated to open early next year, will provide visualizations of the ballpark and surrounding district. Meantime, the stadium's construction manager held outreach sessions for the local trades industry. -
Tampa Bay has a 2-0 lead and can close out the series Wednesday with a win at Yankee Stadium. For $5, you can watch with other fans inside Tropicana Field. Tickets are also available for a possible Game 5 in St. Petersburg. -
Broward is the eighth Florida county to confirm a locally acquired case during the current outbreak, which has mostly been limited to the Tampa Bay area – primarily Hillsborough County. -
South Florida drops to 4-1 after the Owls' quarterback sprints 34 yards for the go-ahead score to cap a 96-yard drive late in the game. The coach says the team couldn't overcome "self-inflicted" damage. -
The once-struggling 49-bed facility in rural DeSoto County is under new management nearly a year after its board selected Tampa General Hospital's 49-year lease proposal. -
Tampa Bay, which opens the season Thursday at the New York Rangers, have won consistently under Jon Cooper, but another strong regular season will mean little without making a deep playoff run. -
The first two games of the best-of-five matchup will be at Tropicana Field. New York advanced by sweeping AL East rival Boston in the Wild Card Series. -
The victim was 50 to 54 years old and was listed in the health department's Vibrio database for the week of Sept. 13-19. It was the state's 22nd case and fifth death tied to the bacterial illness in 2026.
